![Reply](https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/images/buttons/reply.gif) |
|
![Old](https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/images/statusicon/post_old.gif)
1 Mar 2010
|
Contributing Member
HUBB regular
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Essex
Posts: 20
|
|
Yamaha xt600e
Any advice as what are the best wheel rims to use. Building bike for UK to South Africa trip. Are alloy rims stronger than chrome steel rims. What are other people using. Thanks:confused1:
|
![Old](https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/images/statusicon/post_old.gif)
1 Mar 2010
|
Registered Users
HUBB regular
|
|
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: parana brazil
Posts: 64
|
|
heard good things about excel rims ,much toughter than the standard rims ,you could try DAVID LAMBETH RALLY & OVERLAND
|
![Old](https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/images/statusicon/post_old.gif)
2 Mar 2010
|
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Manchester
Posts: 150
|
|
Well dont know wether they still do but Excels were standard on YZ's and mine are still mint 10 years down the line.
Excel
__________________
Yamaha TT600RE 2004
Yamaha YZ250 2 stroke 99
|
![Old](https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/images/statusicon/post_old.gif)
2 Mar 2010
|
![todderz's Avatar](https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/images/avatars/Avatar124.jpg) |
Contributing Member
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: USA
Posts: 182
|
|
I asked the same question last year and all said that the Excel rims are stronger, but many said the standard rims are plenty strong enough with the advantage of being easier to fix in remote places, and requiring less expenditure. There were plenty of people saying they've had no problem with them on pretty much every terrain.
I opted to save some money at the outset and kept the originals, but despite regularly checking spoke tension and generally trying to take it easy on the bike over rough ground, by the time I hit the ferry port near Vlad both wheels were badly knocked out of shape. Unfortunately that meant I had to get them fixed at great expense and inconvenience at my next stop in Vancouver, where the useless and ridiculously expensive dealership messed up my trip by taking 4 weeks to replace my wheels.
Two lessons - If you can afford it up front, get the Excel rims, and if you need anything fixing get it fixed in Russia where it will take 5 minutes and be done for a pittance. Third lesson - checking spoke tension is vital but still won't save you from bust wheels. Fourth lesson - Siberian potholes can swallow you whole....
HTH!!
Al
|
![Old](https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/images/statusicon/post_old.gif)
2 Mar 2010
|
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Manchester
Posts: 150
|
|
Chrome wheels on 21st century trail bikes is some kinda Yamaha in joke surely, we had alloy wheels on trail bikes in 1980 for christs sake.
__________________
Yamaha TT600RE 2004
Yamaha YZ250 2 stroke 99
|
![Old](https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/images/statusicon/post_old.gif)
2 Mar 2010
|
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 212
|
|
Muddying the water!
Hi,
My experiences are different to what most people expect.
My girlfried and I went on a 35000 mile trip round Asia, Oz & NZ, including a few pretty rough roads. She was on a XT600E with the original steel rims and heavy duty spokes, I was on a tenere with its original fitment alloy wheels, also rebuilt with deavy duty spokes.
She had no wheel problems, but I developed a number of cracks from the spoke holes, which had not been modified, and then had spokes breaking. I had a new rim and spokes sent out to me and had the wheel rebuilt in Bankok, but the problem soon returned.
On this ocasion it was caused by the aftermarket rim having spoke holes at the wrong angle for the hub.
Tried again in Oz, the wheel builder knew all about having to adjust the holes in the rims and had an impressive list of customers, problem returned in less than a thousand miles.
It could be that still using the original shock played a part, but so was my girlfriend !
I have since had the back wheel rebuilt with a steel rim.
If I was you, I would check that your steel rims are not rusting bably inside or out, and if OK then have them rebuilt with the heaviest duty spokes that will fit without altering the holes in the rim. This saves quite a bit of cash on the cost of two top quality alloy rims and avoids the complication of the holes not being correcty aligned for the Yamaha rim.
Hope this helps
Mark
|
![Old](https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/images/statusicon/post_old.gif)
2 Mar 2010
|
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: nw england
Posts: 379
|
|
i was traveling with a guy who had the excel rims put on and he ended up having them rebuilt twice before i had even had to touch my wheels so he was wishing he saved his money.i think it could be just down to luck but after 24000 miles lots of off road ,mongolia,russia,baja,etc .i had a few cracks in my rear rim just took the spokes out got a colombian to weld the cracks for $5 and then respoke .a lot cheeper than the 400-450 pound for the excel wheel build
|
![Old](https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/images/statusicon/post_old.gif)
2 Mar 2010
|
Contributing Member
HUBB regular
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Essex
Posts: 20
|
|
Thanks for all the advice. It looks like the Excel rims look the best bet at the moment. Still happy to hear other peoples views on this subject.
|
![Old](https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/images/statusicon/post_old.gif)
2 Mar 2010
|
![*Touring Ted*'s Avatar](https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/customavatars/avatar15987_7.gif) |
Contributing Member
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Wirral, England.
Posts: 5,666
|
|
Stock rims are plenty strong enough. They bend because people dont check their spoke tension !! Ok they're heavy but so what on an heavily laden travel bike !!
Steel is less likely to break or crack than alloy.. Its much more flexible. You can bang a steel rim back into shape at the side of the road or in a tin pot workshop. That is much harder to do with alloy. It will probably crack if it hasn't already..
As for David Lambeth... He's a total rip off merchant. Knowledgeable, but no more than many here who won't charge you for advice or £1500 for £15 worth of vice bent welded scrap metal.
Lots more rip off stories available on request.
__________________
Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.
|
![Old](https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/images/statusicon/post_old.gif)
3 Mar 2010
|
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Manchester
Posts: 150
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by kito
i was traveling with a guy who had the excel rims put on and he ended up having them rebuilt twice before i had even had to touch my wheels so he was wishing he saved his money.i think it could be just down to luck but after 24000 miles lots of off road ,mongolia,russia,baja,etc .i had a few cracks in my rear rim just took the spokes out got a colombian to weld the cracks for $5 and then respoke .a lot cheeper than the 400-450 pound for the excel wheel build
|
Could Marks post above yours give a reason for that ?
__________________
Yamaha TT600RE 2004
Yamaha YZ250 2 stroke 99
|
![Old](https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/images/statusicon/post_old.gif)
5 Mar 2010
|
Contributing Member
HUBB regular
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Essex
Posts: 20
|
|
Thanks for everybodies input, Time to change my mind. think I will go with standard rims but have worked on by a wizard wheel man.
|
![Old](https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/images/statusicon/post_old.gif)
5 Mar 2010
|
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Isle of Wight
Posts: 198
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by tedmagnum
Stock rims are plenty strong enough
|
I 2nd that...i've had one, save your $$$ for the trip!
|
![Old](https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/images/statusicon/post_old.gif)
6 Mar 2010
|
Gold Member
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: On the Road
Posts: 235
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by blues2
Thanks for everybodies input, Time to change my mind. think I will go with standard rims but have worked on by a wizard wheel man. ![Thumbup1](https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/images/smilies/thumbup1.gif)
|
When you've located and used the aforementioned wizard, please be sure to tell everyone who he/she is and their location.
Geoff
|
![Old](https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/images/statusicon/post_old.gif)
6 Mar 2010
|
![*Touring Ted*'s Avatar](https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/customavatars/avatar15987_7.gif) |
Contributing Member
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Wirral, England.
Posts: 5,666
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by blues2
Thanks for everybodies input, Time to change my mind. think I will go with standard rims but have worked on by a wizard wheel man. ![Thumbup1](https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/images/smilies/thumbup1.gif)
|
Unnecessay... Just check there are no holes or cracks. Check the spokes are all the same tension by running a screwdriver driver over the spokes while the wheel is moving. They should all have the same tone. If you hit one which sounds brighter it will be too tight, if it sounds dull, it will be too lose.
__________________
Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.
|
![Old](https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/images/statusicon/post_old.gif)
6 Mar 2010
|
![BlackDogZulu's Avatar](https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/images/avatars/Animal045.jpg) |
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: West Wales, UK
Posts: 753
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by tedmagnum
Unnecessay... Just check there are no holes or cracks. Check the spokes are all the same tension by running a screwdriver driver over the spokes while the wheel is moving. They should all have the same tone. If you hit one which sounds brighter it will be too tight, if it sounds dull, it will be too lose.
|
And bear in mind that even with a brand new wheel, some will be tighter than others, so don't expect C sharp from each and every one! The main thing is that none of them go 'thunk', which indicates a very loose spoke or a broken one. You soon get to recognise the sound of a good spoke and a bad one. When I rebuilt my rear wheel recently, I spent ages plinking the spokes to try and get them to 'sound' more even, but it was a waste of time. The wheel was well within tolerances (<1mm runout both ways) and the spokes were still playing The Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy.
|
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 Registered Users and/or Members and 1 guests)
|
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
|
Check the RAW segments; Grant, your HU host is on every month!
Episodes below to listen to while you, err, pretend to do something or other...
2020 Edition of Chris Scott's Adventure Motorcycling Handbook.
"Ultimate global guide for red-blooded bikers planning overseas exploration. Covers choice & preparation of best bike, shipping overseas, baggage design, riding techniques, travel health, visas, documentation, safety and useful addresses." Recommended. (Grant)
![Ripcord Rescue Travel Insurance.](/stuff/ripcord/ripcord-logo-250.jpg)
Ripcord Rescue Travel Insurance™ combines into a single integrated program the best evacuation and rescue with the premier travel insurance coverages designed for adventurers.
Led by special operations veterans, Stanford Medicine affiliated physicians, paramedics and other travel experts, Ripcord is perfect for adventure seekers, climbers, skiers, sports enthusiasts, hunters, international travelers, humanitarian efforts, expeditions and more.
Ripcord travel protection is now available for ALL nationalities, and travel is covered on motorcycles of all sizes!
What others say about HU...
"This site is the BIBLE for international bike travelers." Greg, Australia
"Thank you! The web site, The travels, The insight, The inspiration, Everything, just thanks." Colin, UK
"My friend and I are planning a trip from Singapore to England... We found (the HU) site invaluable as an aid to planning and have based a lot of our purchases (bikes, riding gear, etc.) on what we have learned from this site." Phil, Australia
"I for one always had an adventurous spirit, but you and Susan lit the fire for my trip and I'll be forever grateful for what you two do to inspire others to just do it." Brent, USA
"Your website is a mecca of valuable information and the (video) series is informative, entertaining, and inspiring!" Jennifer, Canada
"Your worldwide organisation and events are the Go To places to for all serious touring and aspiring touring bikers." Trevor, South Africa
"This is the answer to all my questions." Haydn, Australia
"Keep going the excellent work you are doing for Horizons Unlimited - I love it!" Thomas, Germany
Lots more comments here!
![Five books by Graham Field!](/stuff/grahamfield/graham-field-2021-280.jpg)
Diaries of a compulsive traveller
by Graham Field
Book, eBook, Audiobook
"A compelling, honest, inspiring and entertaining writing style with a built-in feel-good factor" Get them NOW from the authors' website and Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk.
Back Road Map Books and Backroad GPS Maps for all of Canada - a must have!
New to Horizons Unlimited?
New to motorcycle travelling? New to the HU site? Confused? Too many options? It's really very simple - just 4 easy steps!
Horizons Unlimited was founded in 1997 by Grant and Susan Johnson following their journey around the world on a BMW R80G/S.
Read more about Grant & Susan's story
Membership - help keep us going!
Horizons Unlimited is not a big multi-national company, just two people who love motorcycle travel and have grown what started as a hobby in 1997 into a full time job (usually 8-10 hours per day and 7 days a week) and a labour of love. To keep it going and a roof over our heads, we run events all over the world with the help of volunteers; we sell inspirational and informative DVDs; we have a few selected advertisers; and we make a small amount from memberships.
You don't have to be a Member to come to an HU meeting, access the website, or ask questions on the HUBB. What you get for your membership contribution is our sincere gratitude, good karma and knowing that you're helping to keep the motorcycle travel dream alive. Contributing Members and Gold Members do get additional features on the HUBB. Here's a list of all the Member benefits on the HUBB.
|
|
|